From the desk of Kathryn Gute, SCHSA President
Apparently, this is the last week of school.
I swear that just yesterday I was buying a new 2016 calendar and making the list of things I was going to accomplish before my kids take over my days this summer. Let’s not talk about that list and the lack of check marks on it….
Instead, I wanted to share with you how you have contributed to just one more incredible school year with your continued support of the Shamona Creek Home & School Association. During the 2015-2016 school year, with your generosity, your helping hands, and your support, the SCHSA was able to provide the following educational enrichment to our students and build & foster a sense of community among our families and staff through the following events & activities:
Back to School Night was a night to meet the teachers with entertainment with a Magic Math Show assembly
Family Fun & Food Truck Night brought our families together for an evening to catch up with old friends and meet new friends.
The NED Show taught our students to Never Give Up, Encourage Others and Do Your Best.
The Boosterthon Big World Recess & Shark Fun Run taught our students to embrace fitness through lessons on teamwork, curiosity, practice, humility, confidence and endurance.
The Barnes & Noble Book Fair showcased the importance of reading and our talented music program at Shamona Creek while providing new books and materials for our Shamona Creek Library.
The Science Fair allowed all of our students to showcase their love of learning and science while gaining the confidence to research and present their findings to visitors.
The Fitfest for everyBODY taught our students about caring for their bodies for lifelong health & wellness.
Pizza Bingo was simply all about family fun!
The Variety Show merges the experience of performing arts with fostering confidence in our students for an afternoon that showcased more than 100 students across a variety of talents, including music, art, dance, comedy and so much more.
The Spring Fair is historically our biggest and best event of the year. Highly anticipated and never disappointing, this night brought together our Shamona Creek community of old and new for family fun and lifelong memories.
The Fifth Grade party is a final salute to our Shamona Creek student leaders as they wrap up their final year as a shark. This year, we hosted this event at Pennypacker Swim Club…and I am pretty sure that was a big hit!
In addition, the SCHSA also supported the following:
- Compensation for transportation for all class field trips.
- Several Staff Appreciation events, including Back-to-School Survival Kits for each teacher, a Thankful For You treat, the Souper Bowl, and Teacher Appreciation Week Lunch & Dessert Bar.
- Ongoing maintenance and beautification of the curb appeal of our school including clean up, planting and mulching of many of the flower beds around the front of the school.
- Collection, cutting and counting of – literally – thousands of Box Tops & Labels for Education resulting in one of our simplest ways to raise money for playground equipment and other necessary materials for our classrooms.
- Collaborated with the district Safe Homes Committee to bring several Parent Discussion Nights to our parents on a variety of topics, including setting boundaries, mental health awareness & symptoms, healthy sleep habits and more.
- Taking pictures throughout the year of all of our students, inside and outside the classroom, followed by organizing and creating the beautiful and amazing yearbook that your child will look back on year after year.
- Offering a collection of Spirit Wear including shirts, sweatshirts, hats and more.
And, this is not all. Through many of these events and other activities, the SCHSA has been able to raise enough money to, not only continue to support everything I have already shared above, but we provide grants and funds to every member of our staff to be able to completely supplement their classroom, curriculum and instruction, contributing to the ongoing excellence of Shamona Creek Elementary School.
Here is just a sample of how SCHSA has done this throughout the 2015-2016 school year:
- Awarded more than $7,000 to our teachers for everyday classroom supplies, extra projects to supplement a lesson, or materials needed to improve instruction that might not otherwise have been possible with the budget provided to each school.
- Over $5,000 in grants have been awarded to our staff for materials for classrooms, instruction & more. A sample from this year includes:
- Storage units for books during independent reading lessons
- Literacy and math activity games and kits
- Poetry book sets
- Whisper phones
- Message boards for parent communication
- Dry erase boards for individual problem solving during instruction
- Seat pockets, student mailboxes, book bins, reading seats
- Classroom rugs and activity tables
- Document Cameras
- Approximately $1,000 in gift cards to local grocery and retail stores are purchased each year to be given to families in need within our Shamona Creek community.
- Awarded $1,500 in cash scholarships to Shamona Creek alumni who are now DASD graduates heading off to college this fall.
- In the fall, you will notice a brand new, state-of-the-art Gaga Pit on the playground, which the SCHSA will be contributing more than $3,000 toward the materials, permit and construction. It will be enjoyed by all students for years to come.
And, do you know what is the most incredible thing about all of this? YOU!
All of these events, all of the support, all of the time, all of the smiles from our kids, all of the finishing touches on classroom lessons…all of it…all of it…is all because of YOU! Everything that the SCHSA does throughout the year is only possible through the support of our families and staff. From the volunteers willing to send in a bag of ice for a teacher luncheon to the volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the entire year to be sure that every single student is featured in the yearbook…I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your generosity. Whether you so generously supported our events as a sponsor or you sent in a needed item when requested or you showed up with your family to enjoy some Rita’s Water Ice at our Back to School Family Fun Night…whatever your level of involvement…I am incredibly grateful for you.
And, if you have read through all of this (first of all…thank you)…and you are thinking you’d like to get more involved in the SCHSA, please know that we are always looking for great minds and good people…just like you! So, don’t ever hesitate to invest in your child’s experience here at Shamona Creek by finding something you are passionate about and lending your hand with the SCHSA.
I want to say Thank You to every single person who had their hand in making Shamona Creek everything that it is this year…and for making my job as Shamona Creek Home & School President for the past two years so incredibly rewarding!
I wish each one of you a safe and super fun summer with your families and look forward to catching up in the fall!!!
All the best,
Kathryn Gute
Shamona Creek Home & School Association 